The present invention pertains to an apparatus for forward-facing rowing of a boat or scull.
The benefits of forward-facing rowing, including safer and more enjoyable rowing, are readily apparent. Patents that disclose various types of mechanisms for rowing facing forward include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,943,250, 4,867,718, and 4,776,821 all issued to duPont; U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,314 issued to Waugh; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,830 issued to Cartwright.
However, none of the above patents discloses a rowing apparatus that duplicates the rowing motion of conventionally operated oars, including full pivotal oar motion, as well as oar rotation that alters the angular orientation of the oar face (known as "feathering"). Additionally, none of the above patents discloses an apparatus that is biased against the weight of the oar to duplicate the heft of a conventional oar mounted to the boat at the midsection, or "leather," portion of the oar.
Furthermore, none of the above patents discloses a mechanism that provides rowing performance better than the performance attained by conventional rowing. Specifically, the above patents do not teach the use of a longer effective oar length than is conventional, achieved by pivoting the oar around its inboard end rather than around its "leather" located in the mid-section of the oar. This lengthening of the effective oar radius reduces the arc described by the oar blade in traversing a stroke of standard length, from an arc of about 90 degrees in length to an arc of about 60 degrees. The result is a more effective delivery of power because a greater percentage of the oar blade's motion is parallel to the line of travel of the boat.
Also, none of the above patents teaches an apparatus that allows "feathering" of the oars with the stronger forearms as opposed to the weaker wrists employed in conventional rowing. Also, none of the above patents teaches a mechanism for delivery of power to the oars that can be easily constructed and maintained in such fashion that very little energy is lost to friction even under the heaviest use.
A need thus exists for a forward facing rowing apparatus having all of the above advantages lacking in the above patents.